We won’t be nationwide by end of 2011. By that time we expect to be shipping vehicles to Canada, Europe and several markets beyond those we’ve already announced.

[The nationwide launch date is] all still work in progress and will clearly be dependent on the ability of the production facility to ramp up as planned and all those kind of things. I’m not in a position to tell you by X-date we will be nationwide. I will tell you we’re heading towards national distribution and theres no question about it

Volt Communications Manager Rob Peterson (first quote) and GM Director of Volt Marketing Tony DiSalle (second quote) tell gm-volt.com that the previous 2011 date for the nationwide rollout of the Chevy Volt isn’t going to happen. Meanwhile, if you’re in California, Michigan or Washington DC, your Volt should arrive by 2011. Be sure to tip your congressional representatives, folks! Luckily, though, this video proves that the Volt will be more than up to the challenge of eating the Nissan Leaf’s dust.

DC? The two sections I’m most familiar with are Georgetown and Kalorama. From what I remember it was mostly on-street parking. Not a plug-in friendly situation. Of course, there are the Maryland and Virginia suburbs where plugging in won’t be a problem I suppose.

General Motors is guilty of the most profoundly bone-headed decisions across their whole business and I’ll likely never again own or rent a GM vehicle. However, one thing GM consistently has done right from the very beginning and continued through the bankruptcy to today is to have skilled engineers extensively test the vehicles.

Just as consistently, however, is two or three levels up, undesirable results are routinely papered over and explained away rather than fixed. If Ed can end this long-time tradition, GM vehicle dependability would skyrocket and cost of operation would plummet.

Ya gotta love the high tech tests GM comes up with. Er wait a second…this must be the latest budget cut. I can here it now:
“Rather than spend money “masking” “future” cars for the infamous “spy cams” we’ll just grab one of those ’08 dully quad cabs still in inventory and…get ‘er done.”
No, wait! On second thought, this is actually a valid test since most of GM’s market is to people who STILL live on dirt roads.